Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN!
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2018.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):1) It's the first day of Summer 2014, so let's talk about what we did as children (not teenagers or young adults) on our summer vacations from school. 2) Write about your life as a child in the summertime (say, any age between 5 and 12). Where did you live, what did you do, how did it influence the rest of your life?3) Write your own blog post, or leave a comment on this post, or write something on Facebook or Google+Here's mine:I grew up in San Diego, California, in the Burlingame neighborhood on 30th Street just east of Balboa Park. Other than delivering newspapers on Thursday and Saturday, I, with my brother Stan, were free as birds. And we flew all over the city, it seemed. We rode our bikes, we went hunting for baseball cards at grocery stores, we played bike tag with other kids in the neighborhood, we played "Stop and Go" on our Flexy Flyers (sort of a Cops and Drivers game), we played hide and seek on the block, we went to the Morley Field swimming pool, we went down to Grape Street Park (4 blocks away) on our bikes or flexies and played baseball (Three Flys Up), hunted golf balls down near the Municipal course, or created forts and paths in the brush. We always knew about what time it was because the carillion chimes in Balboa Park could be heard for miles. They always chimed on the hour, so at noon we went home for lunch, and at 5 we went home for dinner. My best friend's name was Noble Earl, and his mother's call could be heard half a mile away, it seemed. The scariest thing we did in the summer was on our flexies. Ivy Street west of 29th Street was a two block long downhill run, with a barrier at the bottom of it. The barrier had a decorative "hole" in it that was about ten feet wide and two feet high. We had great fun racing the flexies down the hill and crossing the finish line. One time, Stan didn't stop in time, hit the curb in front of the wall, and catapulted through the hole in the wall and landed about ten feet below the wall on the rocky ground surrounded by jacaranda trees. It was a close call. We never told our parents about it. At night, we listened to the baseball games on the radio - home and away (re-created by the announcers based on a telegraph feed). Once in awhile, we would take the bus downtown to go to the minor league Padres games at Lane Field. Sometimes, we played board games or word games with our parents before bedtime, or ran the Lionel model trains around the house. If I was bored, I would study San Diego street maps to plot my next bike adventure, or make imaginary street maps of a city, laying out the terrain, naming the streets, plotting stop signs and traffic lights, planning bus routes. I wanted to be a city planner, I guess. Or a baseball announcer - I made up a dice game to simulate baseball, made my own lineups (Padres vs. another PCL team), rolled the dice and somehow the Padres always won! I announced the games to the whole house - my folks and brother probably thought I was nuts.Our summers were pretty carefree. We just played and competed and explored - it was a great environment to be a kid. It was never very hot in San Diego in the summertime. The family started taking vacations in 1954, when I was 10, and maybe next week we'll write about summer vacations. How did this affect my later life? I really enjoyed the freedom and the responsibility that went with it (e.g., be home on time) and tried to instill that into my children after I married. I love having fun at home or at an entertainment center, or at a baseball game. I have always had hobbies or interests outside of school and work to keep my brain active and always learning new skills or subjects. The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/06/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-summertime.htmlCopyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

I am in the 7th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1007, who is Catherine POILLON (1712-????)[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].My ancestral line back through three generations in this POILLONfamily line is:1. Randall J. Seaver (1943-living)

Information on this family was obtained:1) The Hix file on the Rootsweb WorldConnect database created by Charlotte Hix (cmhix@metrocast.net) on 4 August 2005. 2) Charlotte Louise Megill, The Crocheron Family of Staten Island, New York (Garden City, N.Y. : Charlotte Megill Hix, 1979).The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/06/surname-saturday-poillon-belgium.htmlCopyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Robert Kehrer of FamilySearch read that blog post, and provided additional information about the Record Hints feature via email:"I noticed that you will be evaluating the quality of the hints in an upcoming article. I thought I’d give you a little insight to enrich that article.

Hints are generated by taking all the information (name, gender, event dates and places, relationships) from the ancestor and that ancestor’s one-hop-relatives (parents, spouse, children)

The Family Tree persons are matched against all 4.5 billion historical record personas to identify the highest confidence matches

Hints are being exposed incrementally.

Today we deliver only hints where the matched person is primary on the record.

We will shortly expose hints to secondary personas

New records, improved algorithms, etc will ensure there are always new hints to evaluate.

The message to users is “Don’t be surprised if you find a record through searching that wasn’t exposed as a hint. Keep coming back to the site to see new hints”.

Part of the reason for this is the current release is a “Public Preview”. The hinting system will still be a work in progress through late in the year. We will be working on a number of key things:

Continuous improvement in algorithms

Update system systems to automatically re-hint changed tree people and newly published records (the current system uses snapshot data updated monthly)

Optimizations for hinting diverse language collections

Because it uses snapshot data, an astute researcher may notice a couple things:

A newly added person to the Family Tree may not get new hints for as much as a month

A significantly changed Family Tree person may display hints that no longer perfectly match the tree person data for as long as a month

As a measure of accuracy, we have been watching the rate at which users mark presented hints as Not-A-Match. That rate has been exceedingly low.

Also, we will very soon be adding to the attach tool the ability to view record details and the image from any record.

I followed up by asking:

* Does the system refer to the Sources already provided for the person that are from historical records on FS, and then not list them as Record Hints?

Robert quickly responded with:

"Yes the hinting system is fully aware of which sources have already been attached and it will not surface already attached sources as possible hints."

My thanks to Robert for offering this information about the Record Hints feature. I think that this will be a very useful feature for all genealogical researchers.

As Geolover commented on the initial blog post - not every record for a specific person will show up in a Record Hint - many collections are not indexed and therefore won't be found in a name search. The information can still be attached to the Family Tree by the user with a source citation and document image.

In my post Record Hints are Now Available on FamilySearch Family Tree (posted 17 June 2014), I showed how to "Review" a Record Hint, and "Mark" the "Record Hint" as a "Match."I went looking for a Record Hint that was "Not a Match" on other persons in the Family Tree, and found one listed for Hattie (Hildreth) Seaver's husband, Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922). Here is his Person Profile (top of page shown):

I looked at the second Record Hint listed (at the top of the right-hand column on the screen above) - the one for "Massachusetts, State Census, 1855."

I clicked on the link, and the comparison of the information on the record (on the left of the screen below) with the information for my great-grandfather in the Family Tree (on the right of the screen below) appeared (two screens below):

After comparing the record with the person profile, I decided that this was "Not a Match." There were two Frank W. Seaver persons born in about 1852 in Massachusetts - one was born in Taunton, Massachusetts to Nathan and Caroline Seaver, and the other, my grandfather, was born in Medfield, Mass. to Isaac and Lucretia Seaver.

I clicked the "Not a Match" button on the screen above, and filled in the box for "Reason why this Record is Not a Match:"

I clicked on the blue "Save" button above, and was taken to the "Record Hint" page for Frank Walton Seaver. There is now one "Possible Match" and one "Not a Match" Record Hint listed (the Not a Match screen is shown below):

The "Not a Match" screen shows the Record Name, the Reason, and the Events for this Record Hint. I could, or some other user of the Family Tree could, click on the blue "Review" button to review this decision again, and even reverse it.In the case above, I can't fault the system for showing me this Record Hint - the name was the same, the birth year was the same, and no relationship was entered into the indexed information because it was not entered in the record.
I will try to look at Record Hints for a number of persons to try to assess the accuracy of the Record Hints - I haven't gotten to that task yet.

The article starts in the right-hand column of Page 1 above, continues on to most of Page 2, and then finishes in the 30 January 1858 edition of the newspaper on pages 1 and 2. The first page of the 30 January 1858 issue is at http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9AjqDp0R1qcC.

I am transcribing the articles in a series of blog posts - who knows how long this will take. I hope my readers enjoy it. Note that this is a reporter's summary of the trial, not the trial court transcript.

Witness never knew Luther to have any other gun than the one witness pointed out.

Cross-examined -- Thinks his father was mowing to the east; his scythe was on his left side, -- south west of the body; his hand and feet lay on some grass that had been mowed. Not more than a rod squared remained to be cut; thinks it would have taken him about fifteen minutes to finish it. Mortimer was mowing 25 or 30 rods off; there was more mowing to be done there than where father was. Mortimer had mowed but very little; there was some lying in swath. Witness did not assist in putting the body in the wagon; it was put in by Mr. Slack, Mr. Phillips and Mr. rice. Mortimer did not touch the body. Mr. Slack and Mortimer had some conversation; Mr. Slack was making enquiries of Mortimer. Mr. slack got in the wagon to assist in lifting in the body. Witness says positively Mr. Slack rode all of the way. Mr. Rice did not ride; Mr. Phillips did. Last Monday evening was the time they went to examine the stump. Mr. Slack was sent for on the morning of his father's death; they were on friendly terms. Knows Miss Wealthy Waterous; she was at the house when he took down the rifle to shoot the sheep; did not make any remark about finding the gun not loaded, and having to load it to shoot the sheep. Witness is married, and lived from home two years last October; went in frequently since, to get money from his father's drawer, with or without leave; the family had that privilege; took money more than once when no one was there; always told of it; on one occasion took five dollars. Witness had heard of love affair spoken of; but heard more of it since he came into Court than he ever did before. Is seven or eight years older than Mortimer.

TESTIMONY OF GEORGE E. CUMINGS

Witness lives in this city; has hunted considerable in his life; Witness examined the ball taken from the body; sees the creases or ridges in the ball; from examining it with dividers, has no doubt the ball was fired from a rifle with six cuts in the barrel.

Witness examined the rifles in Court; that ball could not have been shot out of either of them, if he measured the ball correctly, because one rifle has seven creases, the other eight, and ball has only six. Thinks the bruised end of the ball was put in the gun first, as the mark of the ram-rod is upon the other end. Never knew a ball to change ends in its course, when shot from a rifle, unless it met with an obstacle in its progress and glanced; thinks this ball struck something to divert its course; thinks it was driven home with a hard or metal ram-rod, as the print of such a rod upon the ball leaves it concave, and a wooden rammer leaves it flat; thinks some of the ram-rods in Court drove down this ball. Witness should judge that the bullet taken from the body was not cast in any of the molds in Court, but could not speak with certainty because the ball is not perfect. Thinks it a different shaped balls from what the molds would make.

Cross-examined -- Witness had made rifles -- made three. The reason the ball keeps the position in which it is shot from a cut rifle is because of the spiral motion given it by the creases in the barrel. None of the new balls is like the one taken from the body.

TESTIMONY OF ELIJAH STANTON

Witness has hunted considerable; has examined the ball taken from the body; concludes it came from a rifle with six cuts; it could have received those marks from one gun, and been afterwards fired from another that was larger; none of the ram-rods in Court would make the impression upon this ball; a metallic rod would make such a mark; witness has got such a rod, made of brass; has examined the new bullets; could not swear positively, but witness' impression is that the ball taken from the body could not have been cast in the same mold as any of the new ones were cast in.

Cross-examined -- Witness knows the process of manufactured guns. Striking an object obliquely, will cause a ball to glance, and be directed from its course; striking a bone might do so.

TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH A. SMITH

Witness had had the ball in his possession since within about a week after the death of Mr. Seaver; got it from Silas D. Halsey; it is apparently in the same condition; witness went to the house of Mr. Seaver to see if the ball suited the guns there; witness has lived 29 years here, and has hunted a good deal since he came in; he went to Seavers' and asked them to exhibit their guns; thinks they exhibited the same guns which are now in Court; found the ends of the ram-rods square, and thought the ball was not driven by any of them; found no reluctance on their part, to show the guns; is of opinion the bruised end of the ball was put downwards in the gun.

Witness acted as Coroner at the inquest; was called to summon a jury at Mr. Seaver's; the jury was summoned in the usual manner. Mortimer was the first witness examined.

He swore that he and his father were mowing on the marsh -- his father at some distance from him; that he started to come to the house to get a drink of water, and when he got to the bars furthest from the house, he heard a report; that he got the water, and remained ten or fifteen minutes aqt the house; that he then went back to where his father was and found him dead; and returned as quick as he could and told his mother his father was dead; that he and his mother went together to where his father lay dead; that his mother then sent him to Mr. Rice's, to tell him and get him to come over; that he went there, and then to Mr. Slack's for him, and then came back.

The ball had not been extracted from the body when the prisoner gave this testimony; the examination of witnesses and the post mortem investigation were going on at the same time. After all the witnesses had been examined, there seemed to be an impression that the boy had not given a full and explicit explanation; there seemed a mystery hanging over the transaction, in relation to his going to where his father was, instead of returning to his own part of the work; also in regard to his going for the jug just after being to the house to drink; he was therefore recalled, and questioned on those points. He said that he went for the jug, to carry it to the part of the field where he was mowing himself. He was questioned as to how he should know his father was shot, but thought so because of hearing the gun; he claimed that he had not said his father was shot. Heard the prisoner speak of his father as "dead" previous to the cause of death having been positively ascertained by the post mortem examination; after that, he spoke of him as "shot." Witness lives about three miles from Seaver's; knows the family about forty years; has been familiarly acquainted with them since they came to Michigan; knew Mortimer to be the favorite child, he was weakly and small of his age for a number of years, and his natural weakness seemed to require more than usual parental care.

Some time last summer, Mr. Seaver told witness that when he got through his hurry in the fall, he would come up and spend time enough to make a will; he said he intended to leave his farm to Mortimer, as his other children were well provided for, that he had been helping them along, except his daughter, Mrs. Maine, and he intended to give her $100 to make her good with the rest, and then will the farm to Mortimer, reserving the right for himself and wife, to stay while they lived. Witness thinks the farm last year was worth $35 an acre; does not know whether Mortimer knew of the intention of his father or not. Mr. Seaver intended that witness should make out the papers.

Witness has seen a great deal of attachment displayed by Mortimer for his father, knew of no difficulty between them; if such existed, thinks he would be likely to know; witness considered himself Mr. Seaver's confidant. Thinks the boy, in common with all the family, was very sad on the occasion of his father's death; thinks the questions were put to the prisoner, on the inquest, so as to lead to the idea that he was suspected. Witness has spoken to prisoner's brothers, prior to his arrest, of the suspicions that existed that he was the person who killed his father. It was common talk in the town of Grand Blanc and vicinity that he had a hand in the death. Told Charles Seaver, witness thinks on Monday after the death of his father, that Mortimer was suspected.

Cross-examined -- Witness' wife is cousin to Mrs. Seaver; witness made notes, but did not take down the whole of the testimony at the inquest; a great many questions were asked by jurors, just as they pleased, without witness interference. There is a cavity in the ball which killed Mr. Seaver, that might operate to turn the ball in its course, so as to throw the heaviest side forward. Mr. Seaver never made any request that witness should keep secret the intended disposition of his property. Thinks Mr. Seaver was 65 or 66 years old.

========================================

Well - we have a murder (?) of a respected man, Aaron Seaver, in Grand Blanc, Genesee County, Michigan.

The emphasis in this part of the defense testimony is the guns and the ball markings. Two witnesses said that the ball that killed Aaron Seaver was not fired by the rifles at the Seaver house, and that the ball fired was not made by the molds made after the event.

Aaron Seaver (1793-1857) is a second cousin, six times removed to me. Our common ancestors are my 7th great-grandparents, Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) and Mary Read (1680-????).

* Deed: 4 January 1818 (age 26), bought the one and a half acres his father had purchased from Josiah Kendal, for $32; Gardner, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [12]

* Deed: 4 January 1818 (age 26), bought the land in Westminster which was the whole of the real estate apportioned to his minor siblings Martha, Silas, Isaac, Rozilla, and Mary Jane Seaver; Westminster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [13]

The birth record in the Westminster, Mass. Town Records, under "Benjamin Seaver and Marthy his wife family records" says:[1-2]

"November 15th 1791. Benjamin Seaver Jun^r born "

Benjamin Seaver lived his entire life in Westminster MA. He apparently was a farmer or yeoman. His surname was spelled either Seaver or Sever.

He served during the War of 1812 in Captain Rice's company, Colonel Messenger's regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia.[10]

The marriage record in the Westminster, Mass. Town Records says:[14-15]

"Feb^y 15 1817; Mr. Benjamin Sever and Miss Abigail Gates both of Westminster March 2; published for marriage as the law directs."

Benjamin Seaver inherited a 1/10th portion of his father's estate in 1817.[11] On 22 May 12817, he received 51 acres and 132 rods of the home farm, and agreed to pay each of the minor children (of his father) $28.

As Benjamin Sever, yeoman of Gardner, he bought, for $32, the one and a half acres his father had purchased from Josiah Kendal, dated 4 January 1818.[12]

He bought, for $1,480, the land in Westminster which was the whole of the real estate apportioned to his minor siblings Martha, Silas, Isaac, Rozilla, and Mary Jane Seaver, who were represented by their guardian, Heman Ray, dated 4 January 1818.[13] In both of these transactions, the land was auctioned to the highest bidder with 30 days notice given in Westminster, Princeton and Worcester, but the highest bidder refused to take a deed or security, and the grantor bargained with the grantee and agreed to the price.

In the 1820 US Census, the Benjamin Seaver family resided in Westminster township, Worcester County, Massachusetts.[3] The household included one male aged 26-45, one female aged 0-10, and one female aged 16 to 26.

Benjamin Seaver, yeoman, with his wife Abigail signing, sold land in the northerly part of Westminster to his brother, Isaac Seaver for $780 on 19 April 1823.[4] The land was bounded by land of Merari Spaulding, the heirs of Jabez Fairbanks, John Jackson, Asa Rand, Daniel Howe and Hannah Whitney

On 1 February 1825, he bought 15 acres and 22 rods of land in Westminster from Gilman Thurston, yeoman of Westminster, and Moses Thurston, yeoman of Cambridge VT, for $300.[5] The land was part of a farm lately owned by Benjamin Bigelow, and bounded by land of Benjamin Seaver deceased, the county road to Ashburnham, Asa Rand, Jonas Whitney and Nathan Merriam

Benjamin Sever died in 1825, the Westminster, Mass. Town Records say:[6-7]

"Benjamin Sever, parent of the above family, died May 25th 1825 aged 33 years and 5 Months"

The gravestone inscription for Benjamin and Abigail Seaver in Whitmanville Cemetery in Westminster, Massachusetts says:[8]

"Benjamin Seaver

died

May 25 1825

AE. 33

Abigail

wife of

Isaac Seaver

formerly wife of

Benj. Seaver

died Jan. 4 1867

AE. 69."

Benjamin Seaver died intestate in 1825, and his probate papers are in Worcester County Probate Records, Probate Packet 52,866.[9] Abigail Seaver petitioned the court to nominate John Jackson of Westminster as administrator of the estate on 8 June 1825, saying:

"The Petition of the Widow Abagail Seaver of Westminster in said County, humbley represents that her late Husband Benjamin Seaver of said Westminster is dead and that she is altogether unacquainted with doing business and besides she is left with four young children to take care of and that it will be impossible for her to administer upon said estate."

Bond of $10,000 was posted by Merari Spaulding and Daniel Howe, sureties. An inventory was taken by Edward Kendall, Zebina Spaulding and Daniel Howe on 5 July 1825, showing Real estate of $1000 (the Home Farm with the buildings thereon) and Personal estate of $996.10. A warrant was issued to Daniel Howe, Zebina Spaulding and Benjamin F. Wood to set out the widow's dower rights, and they were granted to Abigail Seaver on 4 October 1825.

On 23 March 1826, the estate was represented as insolvent, and a commission of Edward Kendall and Simeon Sanderson was formed. A petition to sell the real estate to pay the debts was formed. Upon the bond of John Jackson, an affidavit was filed for the sale. An advertisement for the sale of the personal estate was printed 17 May 1827. A list of bills and the account of Abigail Seaver of the articles she took at the appraisal and what were sold at private sale was presented. John Jackson presented his account of the estate, which was allowed 17 May 1827, with a balance of $29.13 to be paid "to the Widow of said deceased to enable her to uphold life."

Abigail Seaver was appointed guardian of her four minor children on 1 April 1826 with Isaac Seaver, Nathan Wetherbee and Henry Collidge, Jr posting $5000 bond as sureties. An inventory of the property belonging to the four children included 13 and a half acres of pasture and woodland and a cider mill and house, amounting to $30, filed 6 October 1827.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Now that Ancestry.com is back online, seemingly whole, I discovered that the Side Panel in the Ancestry Member Trees is gone. I described the Side Panel, and showed it, in Ancestry.com Member Tree Changes (11 August 2013) last year. Today, when I ventured into my Ancestry Member Tree again, I was on the Pedigree Chart screen and saw:

On the screen above, with the blue background, is the message:

"The side panel is no longer available. Please hover over the person in your family tree to view and edit the profile."

What's up with that? Is this a product improvement, or a fallout from the unfortunate DDoS attack? I don't know - maybe Ancestry will tell us in a future press release.

OK, I can live without it, although it was a fairly easy way to see the Hints without a lot of clicking.

If I hover over a person, then I can see the information about a person, as shown below:

From that person profile, I can click on my choice of a number of links for:

* The name to go to the profile
* The "Ancestry hints" link to see just the Unreviewed Hints.
* The "View profile" link to view the profile
* The "Quick edit" link to edit the person's vital information
* The "Search records" link to search information about the person
* The "View his family tree" to see his ancestry
* The "Add relative" link to add a sibling, spouse or child to the tree.

All of those links are very useful and do exactly what they claim to do.

I clicked on the "Ancestry hints" link because I wanted to see what records have been associated with Isaac Seaver since the last time I checked.

The Ancestry Hints" page opened and showed me the six "Unreviewed Hints" for Isaac:

I do attach these records to my persons, but I also download them to my computer hard drive, since I also attach them as Media to my family tree genealogy software program.

I clicked on the first one on the list, and saw:

I reviewed the new information on the left of the screen, compared it to what I have in my tree on the right of the screen above, and clicked on the orange "Save to your tree" button.

Then I clicked on the record image thumbnail (it's in the left-hand side of the screen above) and saw the record:

I could then click on the orange "Save" button to save the record image to my computer hard drive.Once on my hard drive, I can rename it (I use a naming convention like "IsaacSeaver-1901-DeathRecord-LeominsterMA-MassVR1841to1915-1901-image1724of2724.jpg") and move it to my Seaver surname file folder and Isaac's family file folder. After I Saved the Hint, my Unreviewed Hints list was reduced by one, and my Accepted Hints list was increased by one. Why do I save the record to my computer files? Well, one reason is that Ancestry.com may go down more often. Another reason is that I may choose to not renew my subscription with them, and would not be able to see the record in my tree. I always say "Hints are great, but don't rely on a website to always be there when you need it."The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/06/ancestrycom-giveth-and-ancestrycom.htmlCopyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

The article starts in the right-hand column of Page 1 above, continues on to most of Page 2, and then finishes in the 30 January 1858 edition of the newspaper on pages 1 and 2. The first page of the 30 January 1858 issue is at http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9AjqDp0R1qcC.

I am transcribing the articles in a series of blog posts - who knows how long this will take. I hope my readers enjoy it. Note that this is a reporter's summary of the trial, not the trial court transcript.

Prisoner was asked at the inquest, whether he had a gun with him in the field; he said he had not, neither had he seen a gun or handled a gun in any way that day; witness considers prisoner gave his testimony very coolly and calmly; he showed no excitement whatever that witness could discover. Witness went in company with others to the spot where the body was found; witness stooped down in the position of a man when mowing, while another person went upon the south eminence to see if he could cover him; he said he could not hit witness from there, while witness was stooping.

JOHN BURRINGTON RECALLED

Witness went the wood side of the fence on the occasion referred to; went south west into the wood, just by the fence west of the cleared field; witness could not see Mr. Smith when he stooped, but saw from the shoulders up when he stood upright. There is a slight descent west from the place where the body was found. Witness asked prisoner whether he carried a gun to the field; he said , no, he had not handled a gun that day. Witness did not consider him excited.

Cross-examined -- Witness could see Mr. Smith over three fences, from the place witness stood, at the edge of the woodland.

TESTIMONY OF DEBORAH CHAPPEL

Resides three fourths of a mile west of Seaver's; was there the day he was killed; saw prisoner have a gun in the afternoon; the corpse was in the bred room at the time witness saw prisoner have the gun. It was before Judge Smith got there, she saw the gun with prisoner; he went through the new kitchen to the old kitchen, with the gun in his hands.

Cross-examined -- When witness first saw prisoner with the gun, he was at the south door, which leads into the wood-room.

SILAS SMITH, RECALLED

The prisoner was sworn before the coroner about dusk; it was after candle-lighting.

TESTIMONY OF CHARLES HALL

Was present at Mr. Seaver's, and heard some talk about the water in the jug, in which something had been mixed. The jug was there at the time. Some person spoke of having the water kept to be analyzed; witness does not know who. The prisoner said something and took out the jug and emptied it at the west door.

TESTIMONY OF DAVID HALSEY

Witness asked prisoner some questions about the death of his father; asked him where he had heard the guns; he pointed to the woods, a little south and nearly west of where his father was found; he said he heard the guns there; said he heard no other guns that day.

GERSHOM LEWIS, RECALLED

Witness could not perceive that prisoner was excited during his examination before the coroner; knew of no questions being put to him to embarrass him.

PROSECUTION CLOSES, DEFENSE OPENS

The evidence for the prosecution here closed. MR. DAVIS reserving the right to introduce rebutting testimony, when the defence rested.

MR. WISNER, in opening for the prisoner, assumed the death of Mr. Seaver was accidental; that before the bullet entered the body it had struck some hard substance which glanced it from the direct line in which it was fired; that the shot could not have been fired by the prisoner; nor from any of the guns belonging to the family; that when the ball struck Mr. Seaver, he was not in a stooping posture; and so far as motive was concerned, that the prisoner's entire personal interest, of which he was fully aware, lay in his father's life rather than his death at this particular time. He expected to prove all this, so that the accused should not only be acquitted, but leave the Court, without even the shadow of a suspicion resting upon him.

At the close of Mr. Wisner's address, the further hearing of the case was adjourned till next morning.

DEFENCE

Friday, January 22d

TESTIMONY OF LYMAN G. BUCKINGHAM

[The first part of this witness' testimony was introduced for the purpose of accounting for the words used by the prisoner, while in jail, to Mary Munger, about keeping her head shut.]

Witness recollects hearing Mr. Wisner advise the prisoner not to hold communication with any person. Witness produces five bullet-moulds, which he received from Mr. Moses Wisner. Witness got lead and cast some bullets in each of the five moulds; has kept the bullets belonging to each mould separate; they are with the moulds they belong to; the moulds are in the same condition in which witness received them; no person had access to them; they have been in his own possession ever since.

TESTIMONY OF CHARLES SEAVER

Is brother to prisoner, and son of Aaron Seaver; was at his own house, half am ile distant when his father was killed. Got there about half an hour after; found his father lying on his back, his head a little south of east, and feet north of west; he lay out straight, with his feet 18 or 20 inches apart; his arms not very close to the body. Thought he was not moved. Saw no evidence of struggling. The back of his father's hat was under his neck, with the front over his eyes; his scythe was lying on the ground near the body; the small end of the snath lay near his knee; the point of the scythe near his body; it lay on the south side of the body; the scythe lay nearly north and south, the snatch east and west. The whet-stone lay nearly under the lower nib -- upon the left side of the body. It was a whole stone, about 10 inches long. Father had the habit of always carrying his whet-stone in his right pantaloons pocket; he usually had his pockets deeper than common; could identify his pants. Mother and Mortimer were there when witness came; Mortimer was crying pretty bad, he thought. The body was put in a wagon and taken to the house; it was done by order of Mr. Slack.

Mr. Slack, Rice and Phillips assisted. Mr. slack rode all the way to the house; witness saw him in the wagon; Mr. Phillips drove the team; Mr. Slack held a hat over father's face; said it was to keep the sun off. Witness walked up all the way to the house with Mortimer; heard no conversation between Mr. Slack and Mortimer. [Witness identifies the bullet-moulds produced by Mr. Buckingham, and picks out those belonging to the several guns.] Identifies a pistol produced; it belongs to Gustavus Chappel; it has been about father's house the past season. [Identifies two rifles and two shot guns, brought into Court by Mr. Johnson.] Luther has had his rifle fourteen years; Mortimer got his rifle four years ago this winter; one of the shot guns has been four or five years in the family; the other is James Rice's, it was borrowed shortly before the death of father. Witness does not know of any other guns being about the premises. The ram rods now with the guns are the same that belong to them.

Thinks the map produced is correct. The ground off south and east is high; south west it is considerably higher than where the body was found; west it is level to the marsh; there is a ridge to the north of the marsh; there are some trees scattered about the marsh; the brush is cleared out. Very nearly all the marsh was mowed, except along the creek. Mortimer does not mow smooth; father did. Witness could go on the ground and pick out his father's and Mortimer's swaths. There was not much done on the day of father's death; witness saw his father's and Mortimer's swaths side by side in places; father was in the habit of selecting out the lodged parts for himself to cut; them owing done by his father that day was where the grass was lodged; where Mortimer mowed, it was standing. There was a sheep shot on the farm, on Saturday, along after breakfast. Witness took Luther's gun down to shoot the sheep; the gun was loaded; Mortimer shot the sheep and brought back the gun. The other rifle hung in its usual place; witness took it down and fired it off, because his mother did not like loaded guns around.

The farm contains eighty acres, and is worth from $25 to $30 an acre. Witness never heard of any particular difficulty between his father and Mortimer. Mortimer was his favorite child.

While they lived at home all the children had access to father's money when they wanted it. Their father knew of them getting it whenever they did so. Mortimer went with witness to Grand Blanc the evening before their father's death -- about sundown. Mortimer went with him, at witness request; they went with the horses called Mortimer's team. It was known to his father and all the family as Mortimer's team. Heard Mr. Slack's testimony about the stump and rifle butt. -- Had not heard of it before, and looked for and found such a stump as the one described by Mr. Slack; discovered a mark which witness thought was a wagon track. Luther Seaver, Paul Davison, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Wisner were with witness at the time, they traced the wheel tracks several rods; one wheel run exactly over the spot described. Witness and his brother had drawn hay over that place, a few days before his father's death.

Father's scythe was nearly new; Mortimer's was an old one which had been in use five or six years; they had got the snath over ten years ago, and it was old then. It would frequently get out of order; there were nails driven in the nibs.

[Bennager Tupper was here called up, to pick out the gun Mortimer had loaded at his store. After examining them, Mr. Tupper said he should judge the gun he saw with Mortimer was not there.]

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Well - we have a murder (?) of a respected man, Aaron Seaver, in Grand Blanc, Genesee County, Michigan.

In this excerpt, the prosecution called several more witnesses, and then rested. The defense attorney made an opening statement, and called two witnesses, including the accused;'s older brother. We see the first hints that some forensic investigation was done with the bullets and the wagon tracks. There ism ore to come!

Aaron Seaver (1793-1857) is a second cousin, six times removed to me. Our common ancestors are my 7th great-grandparents, Joseph Seaver (1672-1754) and Mary Read (1680-????).

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I am a native San Diegan, a graduate of San Diego State University, a retired aerospace engineer, a genealogist and a family guy.
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